Group working toward a drug-free environment

Published 7:33 am, Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Staff, board of directors and members the Coalition of the Midland Area Partnership for Drug-Free Youth recently met for the group’s annual meeting at Northwood University.

The program reviewed the agency’s programs and events for youth and adults in Midland County and recognized the 2011 Coalition Champion. The organization’s mission is to prevent youth alcohol, tobacco and drug use in Midland County.

Executive Director Bonnie McManus said she appreciates the approach the organization has taken with prevention.

“We don’t go into schools and say ‘don’t drink, don’t smoke,’ we give them other alternatives,” she said. Alternatives have included dances and after-school activities.

President and Board Chair Dr. Paul Burns said he worked as an emergency physician in Ann Arbor and saw problems with alcohol and drugs.

“Any group that can help youth make proper decisions when they grow up is a value to society,” he said.

Michelle Beeck and Mike Bean gave 2011 highlights. Bean said after-school activities include anti-bullying clubs, fantasy football, homework club, metal detecting and guitar club. The clubs give students something positive to do that helps them to stay out of trouble.

Another program is Tobacco Retailer Education, which trains employees to check for youth identification to prevent underage smoking. The program includes compliance checks where underage teens are sent to stores to attempt to buy cigarettes.

Jennifer Brown said a summer program was conducted where teens put on a puppet show for younger children about staying away from drugs. Teen dances were organized on Friday nights as a positive alternative to drugs. Brown said she was glad to see people at the meeting getting together to continue to “focus on making Midland County a positive place for our youth.”

Midland Police Officer Chris Wenzell, who is on the policy committee, said the police check bars to make sure they aren’t serving intoxicated people or minors. They also keep up-to-date on drug laws coming out of Lansing.

Beth Sorenson-Prince, of Family and Children’s Services, who is on the events committee, talked about the Dump Your Drugs initiative. She said it’s been “incredibly successful” and added it is heartening to see that people have taken the initiative to bring in prescription drugs and keep them out of the hands of youths. The agency also put on events, such as pool parties, for youth as alternatives to high-risk activities.

Then Brown presented the 2011 Coalition Champion Award to Jackie Warner of Community Mental Health. Warner’s boss described her as “responsive, caring and always professional.”

Warner said the annual meeting served as a good way to get the board of directors and the Coalition members together. She said not everyone knows each other so it helps collaboration and pooling resources. Warner is a youth intervention specialist and works with students showing red flags. If students are in need of mental health or other services, she directs them to the proper resources.

McManus said the Coalition is working to bring people together to focus on the needs of youth and to address the problems with designer drugs like bath salts. She also wants to see even more support for Dump Your Drugs, receive more grants and get into more schools and workplaces with the anti-drug abuse message.